By Bruce Tyler, CEO

As a CEO and entrepreneur, one of the things that has always captured my attention is the folklore surrounding the origins of entities that have endured the test of time to make significant contributions to clients, employees, shareholders, other stakeholders, and the business community at large. I have always been fascinated, and somewhat enamored with the “rags to riches” tales of storied entrepreneurs and the companies that they’ve built. Since today marks AttivaSoft’s 10 year anniversary, I thought I would take this opportunity to share our story in commemoration of the many contributions and achievements made over the last decade. I hope you enjoy today’s post as much as I enjoyed the trip down memory lane…

It was on June 26th 1998, after having successful careers as IT consultants that Ivo Tasong (my friend, business partner, and now AttivaSoft’s President and COO) and I formed what is today recognized as AttivaSoft. While the fear associated with leaving a highly compensated and stable job was palpable, it was clearly balanced by our entrepreneurial zeal, and the enthusiasm Ivo and I had for creating something lasting and meaningful. What started as two energetic and optimistic technology professionals working out of my home has today grown into an industry leading ITIL consultancy with scores of employees, offices on three continents, and a client list we could have only dreamt about.

Beyond the attraction of the potential for future success, I can remember that it was the thought of having our fingerprints on creating the architecture of a new and better way of delivering services and providing solutions that addressed the unmet needs of potential clients that held the greatest allure. In the sophisticated and ever-evolving world of technology, Ivo and I were always amazed at why creating a certainty of execution seemed to be such a daunting task for many firms. Surely there had to be a better way…

We felt that we had the creativity, energy, and drive to succeed where so many others have failed. I was thinking back to our first project which was a $50,000 engagement to engineer and deliver a trouble ticketing system to track and manage alarmed network events… not only did we successfully complete the engagement, but we met our goal of being on time and on budget. This has become the cornerstone of our operating philosophy…delivering a certainty of execution that our clients can count on. It is embodied in our corporate tag line of “Done Right. Done Fast.”

However our real breakthrough as a business came with the acquisition of well known Internet firm as a client, and our first million dollar contract. We were originally brought in for a two week audit and assessment of their helpdesk system, which turned into a two-year contract worth well over $1 million dollars. In fact our relationship with their then VP of IT, still continues today. That contract served as a launching pad for us, and since that time we have had completed several million dollar plus initiatives for Government Agencies and Fortune 500 Companies, as well as becoming one of BMC Software’s top 10 professional services partners globally.

Aside from the value we add to our client’s initiatives, Ivo and I concur that it is watching our staff grow into true leaders in their own accord that has provided us with the greatest satisfaction. Knowing that we are not only creating jobs, but affecting lives as we have watched staff get married, create families, and buy their first home that provides us with enormous personal fulfillment.

While these past 10 years have provided us with many great memories and broad array of truly meaningful relationships, it is the next 10 years of growth and accomplishments that we are most anxiously anticipating. Whether you are a client, vendor, employee, partner, lender, investor or other AttivaSoft stakeholder, we thank you for your contributions to our success and look forward to much more of the same in the future. For potential clients, we invite you to become part of our success, and to join the growing family of satisfied clients who have already benefited from the AttivaSoft advantage…